Reasons
by yellowstar
Summary: PRIS-everyone has their reasons...
1. A reason to go

A reason to go: Ashley  
  
"Listen, if I don't see you again..." He began but I interrupted. "I will see you again." I whispered as I laid my fingers over his lips to silence his farewell speech. I watched numbly as he disappeared into thin air.  
  
Before becoming a power ranger, my life was so small. The only place I knew was my life long hometown on Angel Grove, California. That all changed the day Tanya Sloan picked me up to be the next yellow turbo ranger. And after the command center blew up and we fled into space, I saw that there was more to life, than just Angel Grove and Earth.  
  
And then I met him. The first time I looked into his eyes, I realized that I hadn't been living until that moment. I felt like my life had truly begun. It took awhile to get through his hard shell. But it was worth the wait, to have the relationship I have with him now. But who knows what will happen in the next few days? He just left to fight Astronema and save Zordon, while the rest of us stay here to protect Angel Grove. IF we do defeat Dark Spectre, will he go back to KO-35 or stay here on earth? If there's one thing I learned being a power ranger, is that you shouldn't take anything for granted.  
  
I never was one who dreamt of leaving Angel Grove, like TJ or Cassie did. But now I've found my reason to go.  
  
The only thing is that he didn't ask me to stay. But what if he did? Could I really leave my friends and family behind?  
  
Saying Goodbye...  
  
Sitting here in his seat, I know everyone is looking at me concerned. Doubts are starting to creep in, but I didn't want to stay if he didn't want me to. And he didn't ask, so here I am, only a few minutes apart from him and I feel like my heart is breaking. It's like I can't even breathe, and now I know that if he had asked me to stay, I would have said yes.  
  
"Are you okay?" My best friend Cassie asked my sympathetically. She knows what it's like to love someone who lives millions of miles away.  
  
"I just miss him so much." I replied as the tears began to pour down my face. I was so numb; I didn't even feel when she placed her hand on my arm to comfort me. She didn't try to say anything, and I was glad. I didn't really feel like talking, all I wanted to do was go to my room and cry.  
  
"Deca, set a course for earth." His voice broke through the pain filled silence that surrounded me. Daring to hope, I looked up, praying I wasn't just hearing things. And there he stood, in the doorway, looking as nervous as I looked depressed. Finally, remembering to breathe, I jumped up and ran straight into his arms, not even noticing the relieved looks that Carlos and TJ had given each other.  
  
As I relished in his warm embrace, his next few words confirmed to me how strong his feelings were too. "My home is with you." 


	2. A reason to stay

Chapter 1: A reason to stay: Andros  
  
"I will see you again." Her last words burned into my brain as I teleported away from Angel Grove, from earth, and from Ashley. I was headed off to stop Astronema and the Dark Fortress. They had already captured every other planet in the galaxy. My teammates and I were the only ones who stood between total domination and Astronema. It's so hard to believe that Astronema is really Karone, my sister.  
  
What's harder to believe is that I had found a reason to stay on earth. I had never visited this planet until my teammates, now friends, had forced me off the mega ship, and took me to this place called the Surf Spot. I didn't think I would like earth at all. It's not like KO-35. And now I find myself not wanting to leave. But it's not because of the earth culture; it's because of them, most importantly her.  
  
I was drawn to her from the instant I met her, not that I would admit it. In fact, my foolish pride was the reason we almost didn't have a relationship at all. When Zhane arrived on the scene, I was jealous of the ease that he conversed with her. I wish I could be that comfortable with her. Every time I got close to her, my heart would start pounding, my hands would be sweaty, and more often than not, I would stutter. That's what happens when you look at her. It's not just her beauty that takes my breath away. It's the way she laughs and how her smile reaches her eyes, or the way her hair is always in her face and she ends up pushing it away. Or the way, on a rare occasion, when tears fall from her eyes, and all she wants is for me to hold her.  
  
Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming, but not even in the depths of my soul did I dream that I would find someone like her. That was one part of me I never thought would ever recover after the rest of my space team had died on Elisia. I had tried to lock away any feelings at all, but the harder I tried to keep her away, the harder she tried to get in. And without knowing how or why, I woke up one day and realized how close she was, and thanking the stars she didn't give up on me. If only I could give her back one ounce of the love and faith she's shown me, she would never feel unloved. And I want to spend the rest of my life showing that to her. If there's anything I've learned in my many years of being a ranger is that there is a greater plan for myself than I ever had for me.  
  
But once again my foolish pride almost ruined it. I stood there on KO-35 watching the mega ship take her away. As soon as the doors shut, I knew that I was wrong. Without a second thought, I teleported back on the mega ship.  
  
I stood there for a minute watching her, and I felt my heart breaking. I hated to see her cry more than anything in the world. It hurt me more to see her cry than the risk I had to take to love her. So for once in my life, I followed my heart. "Deca, set a course for earth." I spoke up, breaking the fragile silence. I must say that Carlos and TJ were not too shocked to see me. 'When did they get to know my so well?' I wondered in the few seconds before Ashley came racing towards me. She needed me and I couldn't refuse her, I just simply wrapped her in my arms and would not let her go. "My home is with you." I whispered into her hair, never having spoken a truer statement than that. 


	3. A reason to sing

A reason to sing: Cassie  
  
'How did I get so lucky?' She sighed as she stared at his still figure sound asleep next to her. 'Who would have thought I would have found you halfway across the galaxy?' She smiled as she remembered the day the phantom ranger had intruded on their lives. After that, she had never been the same. She waited days at a time for any news of him, the endless nights she wondered if he was okay. Now she didn't have to wonder any more. With the destruction of evil, and the Galaxy rangers to fight for good, the astro rangers were free to relax. A right they had truly earned.  
  
She had forgotten what it was like on earth. She had spent most of the last two years traveling with her best friends in space, fighting and defeating evil. She didn't regret it. How could she? She had a group of friends she loved dearly, and she had found the love of her life. She never imagined it would happen that way. One thing she had learned as a ranger is that things don't go according to your plan. Sometimes there are things more important than you. Things more important than prom and all those other ritualistic high school things.  
  
She had never been the optimistic kind. If you read all the songs she had written before becoming a ranger, well they were depressing. But after meeting Ashley and her unrelenting optimism, as well as falling in love, she had found hope. She found a reason to sing. All the while she fought monsters and struggled through high school, she had never lost her love for music. Which is how she got her job at the café, waitressing most days, and singing on stage many other times. She wished everyone could feel how she felt. She had never had a serious boyfriend before Saryn, never fallen in love before him. And she knew she would never again, now that she had him.  
  
He loved her for who she was. He simply accepted her, flaws and all. And she had plenty, if she were honest with herself. She could be moody and critical, and just a little bit selfish, just to name a few. She wasn't oblivious to his faults either, but when you consider what they had to go through just to be together, they seemed so trivial. And so did her past. She forgave her family for their neglect, and she forgave herself for her past mistakes. She learned to let them go. And that freedom that she gained from those decisions and from him was her motivation, her reason to sing. To pass on hope, to be different from everyone else who says there's no hope. She should know. And so she keeps on singing. 


	4. A reason to move on

Chapter 5: A Reason to Move on  
  
'Only ten more days to go.' TJ reminded himself as watched Saryn and Cassie dancing at the Surf Spot. He had gotten a scholarship to play baseball at Stanford. He would be four hours away from Angel Grove. He couldn't wait to get out of town.  
  
It's a new start. It would he hard to leave his friends, but didn't see how he could deal with seeing Cassie all the time either. He had fallen hard for the beautiful Asian girl since they had first met and become Turbo rangers. Unfortunately, it wasn't long after though that the mysterious phantom ranger had appeared onto the scene. If there was anything he had learned as a ranger, it was to take risks, and make the most of every opportunity. He had waited too long and now it was too late. The woman he loved was in love with another man.  
  
"Hey Teej!" Ashley called as she made her way over to his table. He had to smile at her cheerfulness. You had to be made of stone to be able to resist her. And Andros was as close to stone as anyone he had ever met. "How are you?" she asked quietly even though she was pretty sure she knew the answer. TJ hadn't been himself since they had stopped Astronema and Saryn had come to earth.  
  
"I've been better." He admitted. She was one of the few people he didn't even bother trying to hide things from. She nodded sympathetically. "I know you TJ, you're going to be just fine. She's just not the one."  
  
"You have to let her go. Longing after her isn't worth it." She advised him. He wondered when she had gotten so wise.  
  
"I know. But she's my best friend." He protested as he continued to watch the loving pair.  
  
"Let's get out of here. Enjoy your last few days in town." She persuaded him gently, pulling on his hand to pull him up from the table. He allowed himself one last look before exiting.  
  
He was glad he let her drag him away. They headed to Angel Grove Park where Andros, Zhane, and Carlos were playing Frisbee. While TJ didn't join in, he did enjoy himself. He was reminded of all the times the group of them had spent in the park playing, or fighting quantrons. There had been a lot of good times and a lot of hard times, but he could not imagine any better friends than these. There were a lot of things he had done to be proud of, and he realized that not everything went exactly the way you wanted it. He never would have dreamed he would have spent the last two years of high school traveling through space. And that wouldn't have happened if the command center hadn't been destroyed by Divatox. He understood that there was a reason for everything. And he was excited about the possibilities that existed at Stanford. For TJ, there was a reason to move on. 


	5. A reason to return

A reason to return: Zhane  
  
Andros and Zhane. Zhane and Andros. Wherever one went, the other was by his side. No matter what. But it was different now. Zhane had a choice. He had vowed his loyalty to Andros forever, but he was on earth with Ashley, and he was torn. He could go with them or he could go back to KO-35. Alone.  
  
Alone was not in his vocabulary. He was as social as they come. Probably the reason why he and Ashley had hit it off immediately. And he knew as much as he wanted to be there with his best friend, he knew that Ashley needed him more. They were at a turning point in their relationship, and they didn't need any distractions. No matter how many times they had argued that they loved to have him with them, he felt restlessness inside that could not be ignored.  
  
For once he made a decision for himself. He decided to return to his home and help with the rebuilding. He needed to be involved with something or go crazy. It was the hardest decision he had ever made, to leave his best friend and a certain future on earth with his new friends or face an uncertain one back on KO-35. But his adventuresome spirit won out, and he found himself traveling back alone. But not lonely. One thing he had learned as a ranger was not to back down from a challenge. And this was certainly a challenge.  
  
Sometimes he doubted that he could do anything without Andros. It wasn't a thought he had often, but enough. He needed to prove to himself that he could do it. This time he had to do it on his own. Andros had understood and wished him luck. Ashley had insisted he had nothing to prove to them, but if he felt he had to, then she wouldn't stand in his way.  
  
So that's how he got here. Standing with old friends and family who were glad to have him home. He spent long hours outside rebuilding the villages and restoring life to his vacant planet. He had proven to himself that he had made up the two years that passed him by as he lay unconscious. Two years that Andros had risked his life and given for their planet. It was the least Zhane could do. And though they did not expect his help, they were glad for it. And Zhane was glad to give it. He knew he had made the right decision, and he never regretted it. In fact, it was one of the best ones he had ever made. 


	6. A reason to live

Chapter 4: A Reason to Live  
  
Finally she had a chance to right all the wrongs she had done. No matter how much Andros tried to convince her otherwise, she felt like she had something to prove. Now was her chance, Leo had offered her the spot as the Pink galaxy ranger. The other rangers accepted her just as easily, much to her surprise. Not only had she once been the princess of evil and tried to destroy their predecessors, she was taking the place of their beloved teammate and friend, Kendrix.  
  
She had a lot to live up to. No one put any pressure on her, but she knew what had been sacrificed for her. Andros sacrificed his mentor for her life. He wouldn't kill her, no matter how many times she had tried to kill him and his friends.  
  
She had never experienced friendship or love like that before. She was determined to earn the faith they had put in her unconditionally. She had formed a close bond with her roommate Maya. They had so much in common, most importantly being from somewhere other than earth. Secondly, being in love with two brothers. Being a ranger, she had learned how to trust again, a quality she hadn't experienced since she was a little girl. Everyone had given up something to help her and she wasn't about to let her down. The same qualities that had made her effective for evil, she now used for good.  
  
Being evil was easy. She admitted to herself. You didn't have to think about anyone but yourself. But truthfully, it was lonely as well. Now she had a great relationship with her brother and her almost sister-in-law Ashley, and four amazing friends from the astro team, not to mention her teammates on Terra Venture. And one man named Leo who had turned her whole world upside down. He loved her even when she felt she was unlovable. She felt alive. Like she had a purpose, a reason to live.  
  
It hadn't been easy to get where she was today, but she knew the journey was worth it. And though she wished she could change how it started, she still had a say in how it ended. And the future looks pretty good. 


	7. A reason to believe

A reason to believe: Carlos  
  
'What am I supposed to do? It seems like everyone else knows what they want to do. And I have no clue.' His mind raced as day after day passed by with no clearer clue as to what he should do. He wanted to take some time off before going to college, he didn't want to waste time when he didn't know what to do. And everything seemed so trivial after being a power ranger. He was conflicted. So he did what he always did when he needed his advice. He sought out his grandfather.  
  
"Carlos, you know there is not one path for everyone. You cannot do what your friend TJ does or be what your friend Cassie is." He gently reminded him. "What do you like to do?" He asked rhetorically, leaving a few moments for his grandson to think. "You have spent two years of your life doing things for others, do something for yourself. Do something that will make you happy." Were his last words before Carlos left.  
  
What did I do before becoming a power ranger? He thought to himself as he tried to recall. I used to play soccer and mentor younger kids. He reminded himself. As he walked home he spotted a flyer on a telephone pole, declaring tryouts for the national soccer team. 'Wow.' Carlos thought. 'That would be cool, traveling and playing soccer.' He debated about going to tryouts since he had been off the team for two years. If there was something he learned from being a power ranger though, was that nothing worthwhile came without hard work.  
  
As he threw himself into intense workouts the two weeks before the tryouts, Carlos felt himself believing that he could do it. He wasn't as rusty as he feared he would be. The skills were still there, and the endurance would come in time. And when the tryouts came, he felt he had a good chance to make the squad based on his performance.  
  
'Whatever happens, happens.' He tried to calm himself down as he went to the Surf Spot to check out the roster list. He quickly scanned down the list. There it was. Carlos Vargas. He couldn't believe it.  
  
"Well?" A familiar voice asked hopefully from behind him. He turned and nodded and she threw her arms around him. "I knew you could do it Carlos." Ashley encouraged him.  
  
"So did I." He said confidently as they went to celebrate. 


End file.
